Page 49 of Lord of Punishment

Georgia

“I’ll ask you again, my sweet and beautiful Georgia. Did you miss my company?” he rumbled, his voice soft like velvet, smoky in a tumultuous way.

I’d heard somewhere that temptation was the devil in disguise. Maybe that was true given the man standing before me was once again in a bold and expensive suit. The gallant look of him was exactly the same as days before when he’d tempted me into committing a carnal sin.

“Sabatino,” I muttered, unable to hold onto Dillon. As my son broke free, racing toward the man who stood in front of two others, including the jerk in the suit who’d been watching me, I felt a sick sense of dread as well as an unwanted moment of desire.

Exactly how I’d felt before and I hated it. No, I hated myself so much I had no understanding of what was happening.

“You came back!” Dillon screeched, wrapping his arms around my mystery man’s legs.

Sabatino seemed surprised, taking a few seconds before placing his hand on my son’s head. “I just had some business to take care of. But I’m here now. And I brought you something.”

“You did?” Dillon lifted his head, staring up with such delight in his eyes it made me sick. Why had my boy gravitated toward a man he didn’t even know?

I reached out and Sabatino lifted his gaze, staring at me smugly before motioning for one of his goons.

I was breathless as I studied him, feeling like a complete idiot for allowing myself to fall into the crazy spell I’d been in. There was something entirely different about the look in his eyes, a sense of knowing not only of himself but of who I was and why I’d been running.

The eyes I’d fallen into before were now cold and calculating, accusatory in a way I hadn’t seen before. It was as if I was seeing him for the first time, still marveling at his classic beauty, his strong sense of self that I hadn’t seen before given his loss of memories. They’d returned in full force. That was obvious by the way he was looking at me.

A box suddenly appeared, Sabatino taking it into his hands then slowly crouching down so he was at eye level with Dillon. “I got this for you.”

“What is it?” Dillon asked, his eyes as bright as stars in anticipation.

Meanwhile, I was about ready to lose my mind.

“Something I hope you can cherish.”

I pressed my hand across my lips, trying to keep from making a single sound as Dillon opened the lid. His little body swayed, reminding me how vulnerable he was. When he pulled out a remote-controlled plane, I instantly bristled. How dare the man attempt to buy my son’s attention or his admiration? I took a single step forward to jerk it from Dillon’s hand, but Sabatino’s gaze turned even darker.

“A pwayne!”

I wanted to be incensed, even horrified but Sabatino had managed to make my son’s day, maybe his year.

“Now you can fly, little man, to your heart’s desire.”

“It’s amazing,” Dillon exclaimed. When he turned toward me, more excitement was in his little voice than I’d heard in a long time. “Can I keep it, Mama?”

So much of me wanted to say no but I couldn’t do that to him. “Of course. Say thank you to the nice man.”

“Tank you!”

“You’re very welcome. Now, my friend Andres is going to teach you how to use it while I talk to your mother. Do you think that would be okay?”

Dillon appeared thoughtful as he tilted his head once again, studying the man in the suit, finally giving a solid single nod a few seconds later. I studied Andres, something about him even more disturbing than being stalked by Sabatino.

“Good boy.” Sabatino rose to his full height, taking two steps closer.

“Come on, Dillon,” Andres said. “Connor and I will show you how it’s done.”

I was still trembling as I watched the two men lead my son away. When Sabatino was only a few feet away, I took a step backward, which seemed to amuse the man. His laugh irritated the hell out of me.

“Don’t you dare call my son little man. And don’t you dare provide him with gifts.”

Sabatino seemed amused, lifting his eyebrows as he studied me in silence. It had been a long time since I’d felt this uncomfortable. He wasn’t just scrutinizing me. He was dissecting my words and my emotions. And I hated him for it.

“Who the hell are you?” I demanded. “Is your name even Sabatino? You obviously figured out who you are. Were you lying to me the entire time I was gracious enough to allow you to stay in my house with my son?”

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